Method and system for collecting and presenting historical communication data for a mobile device

ABSTRACT

Among other disclosures, a method may include collecting historical communication data and personal data relating to a portion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of the communications or one or more recipients of the communications. The method may include depositing the collected data into a repository of historical communication data and personal data. The method may include presenting one or more items in the repository on a mobile device, in response to user behavior.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/640,513, filed on Jul. 1, 2017, entitled “Methodand system for collecting and presenting historical communication datafor a mobile device” which is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/089,590, filed on Nov. 25, 2013, entitled “Method and Systemfor Collecting and Presenting Historical Communication Data for a MobileDevice,” which is a continuation application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/180,453, filed on Jul. 25, 2008, entitled “Method and Systemfor Collecting and Presenting Historical Communication Data for a MobileDevice,” which claims priority to U.S. Prov. App. No. 60/951,880, filedon Jul. 25, 2007, entitled “Presentation of Personal and Public DataQueried Through Implicit Actions”, the contents of which applicationsare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Electronic communications between persons for both business and personaluse have increased substantially in recent years. In addition to thenumber of communications increasing, the number of availablecommunication mediums has also increased. In addition to e-mailcommunications and telephone communications, additional forms ofcommunication have become common in recent years, including instantmessaging, social network messaging and commenting, message boardposting, text messaging, and Voice Over Internet Protocolcommunications.

These additional forms of communication have led to individualsexchanging communications with more people than ever before, which leadsto an even higher increase in the number of communications sent andreceived by an individual.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

In a first aspect, a computer implemented method for collecting andpresenting historical communication data for a mobile device can includecollecting historical communication data and personal data relating to aportion of a plurality of communications, a sender of one or more of thecommunications or one or more recipients of the communications. Themethod can further include generating a profile containing informationabout a person using the historical communication data and personaldata. The method can further include monitoring use of a mobilecommunication device. The method can further include determining if theuser of the mobile communication device has made a request to view theprofile. The method can further include presenting the profile on themobile communication device in response to the request.

The method can further include storing the profile on the mobilecommunication device. The method can further include retrieving theprofile from a network resource accessible over a mobile communicationlink. The method can further include adapting the profile for display onthe mobile communications device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an example e-mail client with a profile side bar.

FIG. 1B shows an example of a profile.

FIG. 1C shows an example of a conversation thread profile.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example mobile device.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show example views of information available for a mobiledevice.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate example conversation and personal dataavailable for a mobile device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example communication delivery systemincluding a mobile device.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process for collecting andpresenting historical communication and personal data for a mobiledevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1A shows an example system 100 for displaying a profile containinginformation about communications to, from, and involving an individual.The system 100 includes an e-mail client 102 which can include an inboxviewing panel 104 and an e-mail viewing panel 106. The e-mail client 102can be a standard stand alone e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook orEudora. In an alternate implementation the e-mail client 102 can be aweb based e-mail client such as Yahoo! mail or Gmail that is viewedusing a web browser. The e-mail client 102 can allow a user to view alist of e-mails in the inbox viewing panel 104. The user can select ane-mail in the inbox viewing panel 104 causing the e-mail client 102 todisplay the selected e-mail in the e-mail viewing panel 106.

In some implementations, instead of an e-mail client, the system 100 caninclude an instant messaging client, a social network client, a textmessage client, or another communication viewing client. It is to beunderstood that while portions of this description describe systems andmethods involving e-mail communications, these same systems and methodscan be implemented using other forms of communication, including instantmessages, phone calls, text messages, internet message board postings,social network messages or comments, or voice over IP communications.

The e-mail client 102 also includes a profile 108. In the exampledepicted, the profile 108 is displayed as an additional panel within thee-mail client 102 positioned to the right of the inbox viewing panel 104and the e-mail viewing panel 106. This additional panel is sometimesreferred to as a side bar. In other implementations, the profile 108 canbe located at the top, bottom, left side, or any other location withinthe e-mail client 102. In still other implementations, the profile 108can be displayed in a stand alone window, in a pop-up bubble displayedover a portion of the e-mail client 102, or integrated as part of one ofthe other viewing panels displayed by the e-mail client 102. Forexample, a pop up bubble containing a profile 108 could appear when ane-mail is selected in the inbox viewing panel 104, when an e-mailaddress or portion of text in the e-mail viewing panel 106 is selected,or when a mouse icon is moved over an e-mail address, name, icon, orportion of text. In another example, information can be integrated aspart of the body of an e-mail, such as inserting a picture next to aperson's name in the body of an e-mail, or inserting a person's namenext to a phone number in an e-mail or attachment.

The profile 108 can contain information relating to a sender of ane-mail, a recipient of an e-mail, the body of an e-mail, an attachmentto an e-mail, or a person or topic mentioned in an e-mail. In alternateimplementations, the profile 108 can contain information related to asender, recipient, body, attachment or topic of another communicationmedium such as an instant message, a phone call, a text message, aninternet message board, a social network message or comment, or a voiceover IP communication. The user can implicitly request information to bedisplayed in the profile 108 by selecting an e-mail in the inbox viewingpanel 104 or selecting text within a header or body of an e-mail in thee-mail viewing panel 106. In some implementations, the profile caninclude additional information (e.g., derived information such as searchresults derived from a topic mentioned in a communication).

In some implementations, the profile 108 can display information aboutan entity other than a person. For example, a communication may bereceived from an automated system, such as from a travel website,on-line retailer, an advertising service, or a mailing list. The profile108 can display information related to the sender of the communication.For example, if the communication received has been sent from a travelwebsite, information related to the travel website, or othercommunications from the travel website can be displayed. In anotherexample, if the communication received has been sent from an mailinglist, information related to the mailing list, or other communicationsreceived from the mailing list can be displayed. As yet another example,if the communication received has been sent from a business entity,information about the business entity (e.g., address, telephone number,contact person name) can be included in the profile.

For example, the user can select an e-mail 110 in the inbox viewingpanel 104 causing the profile 108 to display information related to asender 112 of the e-mail 110. In another example, the user can select ane-mail address 114 or name of a recipient of the e-mail 110 in order todisplay information related to the recipient in the profile 108. Inanother example, the user can select an attachment to the e-mail 110 inorder to display information related to the attachment in the profile108. In yet another example, the user can select the name of a person, auser name of a person, or a particular topic listed in a header, a body,or an attachment of the e-mail 110 in order to display informationrelated to the person or topic in the profile 108.

In some implementations, the system 100 can determine if the user hasmade an implicit request to view information in the profile 108 bytracking, for example, user input of the form of mouse movements, mouselocations, keyboard strokes, mouse clicks, or active windows. Implicitrequests to view information in the profile 108 can include opening,viewing, reading or writing an e-mail or other communication medium. Forexample, if the user starts to compose an instant message, the profile108 can display information related to the recipient of the instantmessage. In another example, if the user views a social network profile,either within the e-mail client 102 or in a separate web browser, theprofile 108 can display information related to a person associated withthe social network profile.

In some implementations, the user can make a specific request to viewinformation in the profile 108 by performing a search or clicking on aperson's name.

In some implementations, the system 100 can be linked to a phone (e.g.,voice over IP phone) used by the user. For example, the system 100 caninclude means for detecting when the user makes or receives a phone callor text message using the phone and display information related to arecipient or initiator of the phone call or text message in the profile108.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the user has selected the e-mail 110in the inbox viewing panel 104 and header information and a portion ofthe body of the e-mail 110 is displayed in the e-mail viewing panel 106.The e-mail 110 was received from the sender 112. The system 100 hasdetermined that the user has made an implicit request to viewinformation related to the sender 112 by selecting the e-mail 110. Inresponse to this implicit request, the system 100 displays in theprofile 108 information related to the sender 112.

In the example, the information displayed in the profile 108 includes ane-mail address 116, a phone number 118, communication statistics 120, acontact network 122, a conversation list 124, and a files exchanged list126. In some implementations, the profile 108 can display additionalcontact information such as name, screen names, social network profilenames, social network profile URLs, physical addresses, website URLs,additional e-mail addresses, or additional telephone numbers.

In the example, the communication statistics 120 include the number ofe-mails received from the sender 112 and the number of e-mails sent tothe sender 112. In other implementations, additional communicationstatistics 120 can be displayed, including times of communications,dates of communications, types of communications, volume ofcommunications, length of communications, or speed of responses. Forexample, a statistic for the average amount of time it takes the sender112 to respond to e-mails sent by the user can be displayed. In anotherexample, the times of day that the sender 112 is most likely to respondto an e-mail or other form of communication can be displayed as acommunication statistic 120. In another example, a statistic can bedisplayed that lists the percentage of communications between the userand the sender 112 that occur using a telephone, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using instant messaging, the percentage ofcommunications that occur using e-mails, or the percentage ofcommunications that occur using a social network website as a percentageof all communications between the user and the sender 112. In anotherexample, the number of communications sent or received on which thesender 112 has been copied can be displayed as a communication statistic120. In another example, the number of communications received by theuser on which the sender 112 has also been listed as a recipient can bedisplayed as a communication statistic 120.

In some implementations, the communication statistics 120 that aredisplayed can be chosen by the user. The user can choose to have adefault set of communication statistics displayed, or the user canselect which individual communication statistics 120 are to bedisplayed. The user can choose to have the same set of communicationstatistics 120 displayed for each profile 108 or the user can choose tohave a different set of communication statistics 120 displayed dependingon which person or topic the currently displayed profile 108 isassociated with.

The contact network 122 displayed in the profile 108 shows a list ofcontacts 128 that are associated with the sender 112. In the exampledepicted, the contacts 128 are shown as e-mail addresses. In otherimplementations, the contacts 128 can be listed as names, screen names,nick names, employee numbers, social network profile names, socialnetwork profile URLs, telephone numbers, website URLs, or anycombination of these.

In some implementations, details about a contact 128 can be displayedadjacent to the contact 128 in the contact network 122. These detailscan include time since last communication, last form of communication,frequency of communications, total numbers of communications, or otherrelated data.

The contacts 128 listed in the contact network 122 are contacts that areassociated with the sender 112. The contacts 128 can include recipientsof communications from the sender 112, recipients of communications ofwhich the sender 112 is also a recipient, individuals named in a body orheader of a communication with the sender 112, or individuals named in adocument that is attached to a communication with the sender 112. Forexample, a person who was copied on an e-mail between the user and thesender 112 can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122. Inthe example depicted, the header of the e-mail 110 as shown in thee-mail viewing panel 106 lists all.houston@enron.com as a recipient ofthe e-mail 110. The contact network 122 lists all.houston@enron.com as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In another example, if the user receivesan e-mail from the sender 112 with the subject line “Matt Smith'sbirthday party”, Matt Smith can be listed as a contact 128 in thecontact network 122 even if Matt Smith has never been included in orbeen the recipient of any communications between the user and the sender112. In another example, if the user posts a comment to a social networkprofile page belonging to the sender 112 and a person named Eric Johnsonhas also posted a comment to the social network profile page, or islisted as a friend of the sender 112 on the social network profile page,Eric Johnson can be listed as a contact 128 in the contact network 122.

In some implementations, the contacts 128 listed in the contact network122 can be collected from sources other than communications between theuser and the sender 112. In one implementation, the sender 112 canprovide a list of contacts to the user to include in the contact network122 for the sender 112. The sender 112 can provide the list of contactsto the user through sharing the list of contacts on a shared network, orby sending a communication to the user with, for example, the list ofcontacts in a body of the communication or in an attachment to thecommunication.

In another implementation, the system 100 can collect data from outsidesources in order to determine contacts 128 to be listed in the contactnetwork 122. The system 100 can query various sources to extractinformation on contacts that can be associated with the sender 112 andlisted in the contact network 122. Sources of information that can bequeried to derive contacts associated with the sender 112 can includeweb search engines, people search engines, social networks, personal webpages, telephone directories, scanned business card data or companywebsite profiles.

For example, the system 100 can perform a search of a social networkbased on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names or otherinformation about the sender 112. The system can then identify a profilepage on the social network belonging to the sender 112. Any contactsthat are publicly listed on the social network profile page can belisted in the contact network 122 of the sender 112 even if the user hasnever communicated with the sender 112 using the social network orviewed the profile page of the sender 112 on this social network. Insome implementations, the system 100 can access and extract contactslisted on a private social network profile page belonging to the sender112 if the user has proper access information or authorization to viewthe private social network profile page of the sender 112.

In another example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform asearch based on the sender 112's name, e-mail address, screen names orother information about the sender 112 in order to identify web pagesthat may contain contacts that can be associated with the sender 112.For example, the system 100 can use a search engine to perform a searchbased on the sender 112's name. If one of the search results returned isfor a blog written by a person named Mark Adams that mentions the sender112, then Mark Adams can be listed as a contact 128 in the contactnetwork 122. In another example, the system 100 can determine that thesender 112 works for the same company as a person who has sent adifferent communication to the user. This person can then be listed as acontact 128 of the sender 112. In some implementations, the system 100can collect data using a peer to peer network.

Information that can be used to collect information about contacts 128or other information displayed in the profile 108 can include e-mailaddresses, names, screen names, social network profile names, phonenumbers, personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses.

The contacts 128 displayed in the contact network 122 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. Criteria used to rank the contacts 128can include total volume of communication, volume of communication overa period of time, length of communications, importance level ofcommunications, types of communications, contents of communications,time of communications; methods by which the contacts 128 weredetermined to be associated with the sender 112, or any combination ofthese. For example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the totalnumber of communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication. In another example,the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the number of communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 for which a contact is also arecipient of the communication over the course of the last three weeks.In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the numberof communications between the user and a contact for which the sender112 is also a recipient of the communication.

In another example, the contacts 128 can be ranked based on the lengthof communications between the user and the sender 112 for which acontact is also a recipient of the communication with longercommunications being ranked higher than shorter communications. Inanother example, contacts that are listed on communications flagged asurgent or important can be ranked higher than other contacts. In anotherexample, the user can choose to have contacts who mainly communicatewith the user or sender 112 using e-mail ranked higher than contacts whomainly communicate with the user or sender 112 using instant message orsocial networks. In another example, the system 100 can use the contentsof communications involving each contact 128 and the sender 112 todetermine if communications involving the contact 128 and the sender 112are primarily business related or social related communications. Thesystem 100 can then give a higher ranking to contacts associated withbusiness communications than contacts associated with socialcommunications.

In another example, contacts who are associated with more recentcommunications between the user and the sender 112 can be ranked higherthan contacts associated with older communications between the user andthe sender 112. In another example, contacts that have been determinedto be associated with the sender 112 based on e-mail communication canbe ranked higher than contacts that have been determined to beassociated with the sender 112 based on web searches.

In some implementations, each contact 128 listed in the contact network122 can be a link to more information about the contact 128. Forexample, if a contact 128 is clicked on, selected, or interacted with bythe user, a profile containing information about the selected contact128 can be displayed. In another example, the user can hover a mousecursor or other selection tool over a contact 128. This can cause apop-up bubble containing additional information about the contact 128 tobe displayed.

The conversation list 124 can display a list of recent communicationsbetween the user and the sender 112 or involving the user and the sender112. The communications displayed on the conversation list 124 can be alist of past e-mails, text messages, instant messages, telephone calls,social network communications, message board posts or voice over IPcommunications involving the sender 112. In some implementations, theconversation list 124 can be a list of recent conversation threadsinvolving the sender 112. A conversation thread is a series ofcommunications that can be grouped together. For example, a series ofe-mails having the same or similar subjects can be grouped together as aconversation thread. In another example, a group of instant messagesbetween the sender 112 and the user that occurred over a specific periodof time can be grouped together as a conversation thread. For example,if the user sent and received a series of instant messages from thesender 112 over a three hour period earlier in the day, and thatconversation was separated from another series of instant messagesbetween the user and the sender 112 by a period of 2 hours, the instantmessages that were sent and received during that three hour period canbe grouped together as a conversation thread. In another example, aseries of telephone calls between the user and the sender 112 thatoccurred during a set time period can be grouped together as aconversation thread.

The communications or conversation threads displayed in the conversationlist 124 can be listed in order based on a ranking system. In oneimplementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of mostrecent communications to oldest communications. In anotherimplementation, conversation threads can be listed in order of oldest tomost recent. In another implementation, conversation threads can belisted in order of importance with conversation threads containingcommunications marked as urgent being ranked higher than conversationthreads with fewer communications marked urgent or no communicationsmarked urgent. In another implementation, the system 100 can determinewhich conversation threads are work related and which conversationthreads are social. The conversation threads that are work related canthen be ranked higher than the conversation threads that are social. Inanother implementation, conversation threads can be ranked based on thenumber of communications in the conversation thread.

Communications that are listed in the conversation list can includecommunications initiated by the sender 112, communications for which thesender 112 is a recipient, communications on which the sender 112 hasbeen copied, or communications in which the sender 112 is mentioned.

In the example depicted in FIG. 1A, the conversation list 124 displays alist of recent conversation threads involving the user and the sender112. The conversation threads displayed are for recent e-mailcommunications involving the user and the sender 112. The e-mails ineach conversation thread are grouped by subject. The conversation list124 displays the subject for each conversation thread, the number ofe-mails in each conversation thread, and the amount of time that haspassed since the last communication for this conversation thread wassent or received. In other implementations, additional information canbe displayed for each conversation thread, including: time and date ofthe last communication in the conversation thread, time and date of thefirst communication in the conversation thread, other contacts involvedin the conversation thread, average length of communications in theconversation thread, total number of people involved in the conversationthread, level of importance of the communications in the conversationthread, attachments shared in the conversation thread, calendar eventsrelated to the conversation thread, other forms of communication relatedto the conversation thread, relevant web data, or average response timeof communications in the conversation thread.

In some implementations, the conversation list 124 can display a summaryor the first few lines of the most recent communication for eachconversation list. In another implementation, the conversation list 124can display a summary or the first few lines of the first communicationfor each conversation list. In another implementation, the conversationlist 124 can display a summary or the first few lines of the lastcommunication initiated by the sender 112 for each conversation list.

The files exchanged list 126 displays a list of files that were attachedto communications involving the user and the sender 112. This caninclude communications initiated by the user for which the sender 112was a recipient, communications initiated by the sender 112 for whichthe user was a recipient, or communications initiated by a third partyfor which the sender 112 and the user were both recipients. The filesexchanged list 126 can also include files that were exchanged betweenthe user and the sender 112 with out using a communication medium. Forexample, the files exchanged list 126 can include files that weretransferred from the sender 112's network drive to the user's computeror network drive. In another example, the files exchanged list 126 caninclude files that were transferred to the user's computer or networkdrive from an external hard drive, flash drive, or floppy disk belongingto or populated by the sender 112.

The files displayed in the files exchanged list 126 can be listed inorder based on a ranking system. In one implementation, files can belisted in order of most recently received files to least recentlyreceived files. In another implementation, files can be listed in orderof oldest to most recent. In another implementation, files can be listedin order of importance, with files that were attached to communicationsmarked as urgent being ranked higher than files attached tocommunications that were not marked as urgent. In anotherimplementation, the system 100 can determine which files are workrelated and which files are personal. The files that are work relatedcan then be ranked higher than the files that are personal. In anotherimplementation, files can be ranked based on the size of the files.

In some implementations, the files displayed in the files exchanged list126 can be grouped together. The files can be grouped together based onthe subject of the communications to which the files were attached, filename, file title, date of the file, date of the communication, filetype, or subject matter of the file. For example, if a document hasundergone several rounds of revisions, the different versions of thedocument can be grouped together so that the different versions of thedocument can be easily compared to one another. In another example, anumber of files about rain forests can be grouped together since theyall contain related subject matter. In another example, all image filescan be grouped together so that they can be more easily viewed, oreasily put into a slide show. For example, a group of image files can bedisplayed as a slide show and each slide can contain additionalinformation about the image being displayed, such as who sent the image,recipients of the image, the date the image was sent or received, orother information drawn from one or more communications to which theimage was attached.

In some implementations, the profile 108 can include additionalinformation about the selected e-mail 110. The system 100 can extractinformation from the e-mail 110 and use this information to gather anddisplay data from websites, search engines, or other sources ofinformation. For example, the e-mail 110 may contain information abouttravel arrangements. The e-mail 110 can be an e-mail from an airline,travel agent, travel website or other source. If the e-mail 110 containsinformation about a flight, such as a flight number, an airline, adeparture time, an arrival time, a departure city, or an arrival city,the system 100 can use this information to query search engines ortravel websites for information about the flight. This information caninclude expected departure time, expected arrival time, expected delays,weather in the destination city, weather in the departure city, or anychanges to the flight. This information can then be displayed as part ofthe profile 108. This allows the user to see when changes to travelarrangements have occurred, and easily contact a travel company orairline in order to correct the situation.

In another example, the e-mail 110 can contain information about apurchase from an on-line retailer. The e-mail 110 can contain shippinginformation, shipping status, or order information. If the e-mail 110contains a shipping number for the shipment of a recently purchaseditem, the system 100 can query a search engine or shipping web site toextract information about the current status and expected arrival of theitem. This information can then be displayed as part of the profile 108.

In another example, the e-mail 110 can contain information about an itemor service that the user is interested in purchasing. The system 100 canquery one or more search engines, websites, or on-line retailers todetermine which retailer or website has the best price or currently hasthe item in stock or the service available. This information can then bedisplayed as part of the profile 108.

FIG. 1B shows a profile 130 for a person 132 named “Jen Ertel”. Theprofile 130 for the person 132 can be displayed in response to an actionby a user that indicates either an implicit or direct request to viewthe profile 130 of the person 132. Actions by the user that can causethe profile 130 for the person 132 to be displayed can include viewingor selecting a communication sent by the person 132, viewing orselecting a communication for which the person 132 is listed as arecipient, composing or initiating a communication with the person 132,selecting or clicking on a name, screen name, or e-mail address of theperson 132, or performing a search for information related to the person132.

The profile 130 includes a search bar 134. The search bar 134 can beused to request that information be displayed about a particular person,topic, conversation thread, communication, or file. For example, asearch performed using the search bar 134 and the search string “AllanTate” can result in a profile for a person named Allan Tate beingdisplayed. In another example, a search using the search string“sunday_presentation.ppt” can result in information about a file named“sunday_presentation.ppt” being displayed. In another example, a searchusing the search string “2002 Sales Goals” can result in information tobe displayed regarding communications with the subject “2002 SalesGoals”, containing the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”, or having attachmentsthat contain the phrase “2002 Sales Goals”. Search criteria that can beused to identify a profile can include names, screen names, socialnetwork profile names, social network profile URLs, physical addresses,website URLs, e-mail addresses, e-mail subject lines, file names, ortelephone numbers. For example, a search using the search string“allan.tate@example.com” can result in a profile for a person named“Allan Tate” being displayed. In the example depicted in FIG. 1B, asearch for the phone number “(612) 555-1243” may have been performedin-order to display the profile 130 for the person 132 named “JenErtel”.

The profile 130 can include a title bar 136. The title bar 136 candisplay a name, a nick name, a screen name, a primary e-mail address, orother identifying title for the person 132 so that the user can easilyidentify who the information in the profile 130 is related to.

The profile 130 can also include an image 138. The image 138 can be apicture of the person 132 to help the user more easily identify who theinformation in the profile 130 is related to or to help the useridentify whom he or she is communicating with. For example, if the userreceives an instant message from a person with the screen name“summergirl” the user may not be able to remember who this screen namebelongs to. When the instant message is received, the profile 130 candisplay information about the person with the screen name “summergirl”including a picture of the person as the image 138. This can help theuser to identify whom he or she is communicating with. The image 138 canalso be an image, icon, or picture associated with the person 132. Theimage, icon, or picture can be used to identify the person 132 as abusiness contact, co-worker, friend, social acquaintance, client, orcontractor. For example, all of the profiles 130 for contacts from aparticular company can display a logo for that company. This can helpthe user to quickly identify what relationship he or she has with theseparticular contacts.

The image 138 can be added to the profile 130 by the user, or it can beautomatically extracted from a communication with the person 132 or froma website or profile page belonging to or about the person 132. Forexample, if a social network screen name or URL for the person 132 isknown, an image from the person 132's social network profile page can beextracted and used as the image 138. In another example, if instantmessage communications with the person 132 include an icon thatidentifies the person 132, this instant message icon can be extractedand used as the image 138.

The profile 130 can include communication statistics 140 aboutcommunications involving the person 132. These communication statistics140 can include the statistics as previously described for FIG. 1A. Inthe example shown in FIG. 1B, one of the communication statistics 140displayed is a graph 142 showing what times of day communications arereceived from the person 132 and the relative volume received from theperson 132 at each time of day. This can help the user to determinewhen, or how quickly the person 132 will respond to a new communicationfrom the user. For example, if the user lives in the United States andthe person 132 lives in Germany, most of the communications receivedfrom the person 132 may occur between 5:00 am and 10:00 am of the user'slocal time. The graph 142 can easily display this information so thatthe user can determine when to reasonably expect a response to a recentcommunication from the person 132.

Other communication statistics 140 displayed in the profile 130 in FIG.1B include the total number of communications received from the person132, the total number of communications sent to the person 132, and arank 144. The rank 144 can be the rank of the person 132 compared to allother persons that the user communicates with. The rank 144 can bebased, for example, on total communications exchanged, total number ofattachments exchanged, total number of communications sent, total numberof communications received, length of communications or importance ofcommunications.

Communication statistics 140 can be displayed as graphs or charts asshown in FIG. 1B, or as text. In some implementations, statistics can bedisplayed in the profile 130 or in an additional panel or pop-up windowas “fun facts”. For example, when viewing a profile for someone named“Matt Miller”, the profile can display a message that reads “Matt'sbirthday is next week”. In another example, a pop-up bubble with themessage “Your last communication with Matt was 21 days ago” can bedisplayed. In another example, a panel can display a message reading“You send Matt 20 times as many messages as he sends you.”

Another example of a fun fact that can be displayed is “Matt is your5.sup.th most e-mailed contact”. Another example of a fun fact that canbe displayed is “your most e-mailed contact is Steve.’. Another exampleof a fun fact that can be displayed is “the fastest responder to yourcommunications is Garrett.” The fun facts can include any combination ofcommunication statistics, communication information, contactinformation, or contact statistics.

In some implementations, communication statistics 140 can be shared withother persons. For example, the user can choose to share communicationstatistics with the person 132. The person 132 will then be able to viewcommunication statistics 140 about his or her communications with theuser. In some implementations, the user can indicate that one or morepersons are trusted contacts. Communication statistics 140 can beautomatically shared with all persons indicated as trusted contacts.Other information, such as calendar information, contact information, orcontact network information can also be shared with trusted contacts.

The profile 130 can include contact information 146. The contactinformation 146 displayed can include e-mail addresses, telephonenumbers, screen names, social network profile names, social networkprofile URLs, physical addresses, facsimile numbers, or website URLs.The contact information 146 can be collected from a variety of sourcesincluding communications between the person 132 and the user,communications between the user and other persons, e-mail body text,e-mail meta data, e-mail header information, e-mail attachments, websearch engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mail clients,instant messages, personal web pages, telephone directories, scannedbusiness card data, text messages, picture sharing websites, videosharing websites, profile pages, telephone communications, or customerrelationship management systems. For example, when the user receives ane-mail from a person, that person's e-mail address can be added to thelist of contact information 146 for that person's profile 130. Inanother example, when the user makes a phone call to a person, thatperson's telephone number can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for that person's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be extracted fromthe body, subject, or meta data of a communication between the user andthe person 132. For example, if the user receives an e-mail from theperson 132 with a signature block at the end that includes a telephonenumber, facsimile number, and screen name for the person 132, thiscontact information can be extracted from the e-mail and added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inanother example, an e-mail from a person can include an address for theperson in the body of the e-mail or in an attachment to the e-mail, thisaddress can be extracted from the e-mail or attachment and added to thelist of contact information 146 for that person's profile 130. Inanother example, the person 132 can leave a social network post for theuser telling the user the person 132's instant message screen name, thisscreen name can be added to the list of contact information 146 for theperson 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, contact information 146 for the person 132 canbe extracted from a communication from a third party. For example, theuser can receive an e-mail from Bill that contains the text “Mary's cellphone number is 608-555-5353”. This phone number can be extracted fromBill's e-mail and added to the list of contact information 146 forMary's profile 130. In another example, the user can receive an e-mailwith an attachment that contains a list of telephone numbers, e-mailaddresses, and office numbers for everyone in the user's office. Thetelephone number, e-mail address, and office number for each personlisted on the attachment can be extracted and added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the profiles 130 of each person listed onthe attachment.

Contact information 146 can be extracted from multiple sources,including multiple e-mail clients, multiple web mail systems, multipleinstant message clients, multiple telephone numbers, multiple socialnetworks, or multiple web pages.

In some implementations, contact information 146 can be collected usingsearch engines, telephone directories, or people search engines. Searchcriteria can include e-mail addresses, names, screen names, socialnetwork profile names, phone numbers, personal website URLs, socialnetwork profile URLs, facsimile numbers or physical addresses. Forexample, a search of a telephone directory or people search engine for“Rex Banner” can return a telephone number for Rex Banner. Thistelephone number can then be added to the list of contact information146 for Rex Banner's profile 130. In another example, a people search orweb search for the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” can return a URLfor a social network profile for Adam Lewis. The name “Adam Lewis” canthen be associated with the e-mail address “alewis@example.com” in aprofile 130. In addition, the social network profile URL and socialnetwork screen name for Adam Lewis can be added to the list of contactinformation 146 for Adam Lewis's profile 130. Furthermore, additionalcontact information, that is listed on the social network profile forAdam Lewis, such as additional e-mail addresses, phone numbers, instantmessage screen names, etc., can be extracted from the social networkprofile and added to the list of contact information 146 for AdamLewis's profile 130.

In another example, a web search or person search for a person canreturn a photo or video sharing website profile for the person. The URLor screen name for the person's photo or video sharing website profilecan be added to the list of contact information 146 for the person'sprofile 130. In addition, the photo or video sharing website may containadditional contact information for the person that can be extracted andadded to the list of contact information 146 for the person's profile130.

In another example, contact information 146 for the person 132 caninclude an e-mail address “jertel@examplecompanyltd.com”. A web searchcan be performed to identify the website associated with the e-mailextension “examplecompanyltd.com”. For example, this e-mail extensioncan be associated with a company called “Example Company ltd.”. Thewebsite for Example Company ltd. can then be searched for informationabout the person 132. The website may include a profile page for theperson 132 that includes contact information that can be added to thelist of contact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130. Inaddition, the URL for the profile page can be added to the list ofcontact information 146 for the person 132's profile 130.

In some implementations, the address for a person can be used to refinethe search results for that person by constricting the results toinformation about persons in a specific geographic area. For example, ifa search is being performed for information on a person with a commonname, such as “Bill Johnson”, and Bill Johnson's address is known, thesearch results can be refined by restricting the results to informationabout person's named Bill Johnson in the city of the known address. Insome implementations, other information about a person can be used torefine search results for that person.

In some implementations, contact information can be extracted from ashared network drive or through a secure connection. In someimplementations, contact information can be automatically shared betweensystems. For example, the person 132 can elect to share contactinformation with all people in a trusted network, such as all peoplewith e-mail extensions from the same company. A computer belonging tothe person 132 can then automatically send contact information to alltrusted people. If the user is in the network of trusted people, theperson 132's contact information will automatically be shared with acomputer or system belonging to the user.

In some implementations, contact information for the person 132 can bemanually added or removed from the profile 130 by the user. In someimplementations, contact information for the person 132 can be manuallyadded or removed from the profile by the person 132 or by a third party.In some implementations, the user can choose which contact informationfor each person is displayed in that person's profile.

In some implementations, when a mouse cursor or other selection tool ishovered over/indicates a piece of contact information in the list ofcontact information 146, a pop-up bubble or other indicator can bedisplayed which indicates the source from which the piece of contactinformation was received or extracted. For example, if a phone numberhas been extracted from an e-mail, a hover bubble can be displayed whichshows the e-mail or a portion of the e-mail where the phone number wasextracted with the extracted info highlighted or demarcated in some way.

In some implementations, the user can be allowed to validate contactinformation in the list of contact information 146. Validated contactinformation can be indicated as validated, and un-validated contactinformation can be indicated as un-validated. For example, if a phonenumber for the person 132 is extracted from an e-mail, the user can lookat the phone number to determine if it is indeed the correct phonenumber for the person 132. If the user believes that the phone number iscorrect, the user can choose to validate the phone number. The phonenumber can then be displayed along with an indication that it has beenvalidated, such as with a check mark icon, or text that reads “valid”.If the user is unsure if the phone number is correct, or has not takenthe time to validate the phone number, the phone number can be displayedwith an indication that it has not been validated, such as with aquestion mark icon, or the text “not validated”.

In some implementations, presence of the person 132 can be indicated forsome or all of the contact information on the list of contactinformation 146. For example, an indicator next to a person's instantmessage screen name can indicated if the person is currently logged ontothe related instant message network. In another example, an indicatornext to a person's social network screen name or URL can indicate if theperson is currently logged onto the related social network or if theperson has made a recent update to his or her social network profile. Inanother example, an indicator next to a person's e-mail address canindicate if the person has put up an away message or out of the officemessage.

In some implementations, the profile 130 can display information aboutthe person 132's current location. If the person 132 is in possession ofa GPS unit, GPS enabled phone, or other location detection device, theperson 132 can choose to share his or her location information. Thereare several services that allow a person to share location informationwith other people. The person 132 can choose to share his or herlocation information with the user. The profile 130 can then display thecurrent location of the person 132. This location information can bedisplayed as an address, map coordinates, or a graphic of a map with anicon to indicate the person 132's present location.

Other information about the person 132 that can be displayed on theprofile 130 can include birthday, gender, age, job title, employer,universities attended, family information, or other biographical data.Information from Customer Relationship Management Systems (CRMs) aboutor related to the person 132 can also be displayed in the profile 130.Information about calendar items or scheduled meetings related to theperson 132 or related to a communication can also be displayed as partof the profile 130.

In some implementations, information from one or more websites can bedisplayed as a chronological feed of information in the profile 130.This information can be queried on the web via one or more searchengines or from one or more specific websites through establishedassociations between the person 132 and the one or more websites. Forexample, this information can be found by general searching, peoplesearching, or querying websites where it has been established that theperson 132 is generating content or is the subject of content on thewebsite. Search terms for these searches can include e-mail addresses,names, screen names, social network profile names, phone numbers,personal website URLs, social network profile URLs, or physicaladdresses. Information that is extracted from communications with theperson 132 can also be used as search criteria.

The profile 130 can include a schedule time link 148. The user can clickon/interact with the schedule time link 148 to send a communication tothe person 132 to request a meeting or to send the user's schedule tothe person 132. For example, clicking on the schedule time link 148 cancause an e-mail to be automatically composed that is addressed to theperson 132 that contains all of the times over the course of the nextweek that the user is available during business hours. This scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar associated with an e-mailclient, web mail account, social network account, instant messagingprogram, telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), or websitebelonging to the user or associated with the user. In addition, scheduleinformation can be extracted from a calendar stored on a computer,network drive, or other data storage location belonging to or associatedwith the user. In one implementation, clicking on the schedule time link148 can cause a communication to be sent to the person 132 requestingschedule information from the person 132.

The profile 130 can also include one or more initiate communicationlinks 150. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the initiate communicationlink 150 displayed will cause an e-mail addressed to the person 132 tobe automatically generated when it is clicked on. Other forms ofcommunication that can be initiated using an initiate communication link150 include telephone calls, instant messages, text messages, socialnetwork messages, social network posts, message board posts, facsimiles,or voice over IP communications. For example, the profile 130 caninclude a “call Jen” link that can cause the user's cell phone to dialJen's phone number when clicked on. In another example, the profile 130can include an “instant message” link that when clicked on, can cause aninstant message program to automatically open and generate an instantmessage addressed to a screen name of the person 132.

The profile 130 can include a contact network 152. The contact network152 can include a list of contacts associated with the person 132. Thecontact network 152 can be populated using the methods previouslydescribed in the description of FIG. 1A. The profile 130 can alsodisplay the total number of contacts associated with the person 132 inthe contact network 152. In the example shown in FIG. 1B, the contactnetwork 152 displayed in the profile 130 indicates that there are 50contacts in Jen's contact network 152.

Clicking on, selecting, or interacting with one or more contacts fromthe contact network 152 can cause one or more actions to occur. In oneimplementation, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause a profile for that contact to be displayed. In anotherimplementation, selecting one or more contacts from the contact network152 can cause a communication directed to the selected contacts to beinitiated. For example, selecting three contacts from the contactnetwork 152 can cause an e-mail addressed to the three contacts to begenerated. In another example, clicking on three contacts from thecontact network 152 can cause the user's telephone to initiate aconference call with the selected contacts. In another implementation,selecting one or more contacts from the contact list can cause acommunication directed to the selected contacts and the person 132 to begenerated.

In other implementations, selecting a contact from the contact network152 can cause the most recent communication or conversation threadbetween the user and the selected contact to be displayed. In anotherimplementation, selecting a contact from the contact network 152 cancause the most recent communication or conversation thread involving thecontact, the person 132, and the user to be displayed. In someimplementations, moving a mouse cursor over a contact in the contactnetwork 152 can cause information about the contact to be displayed. Forexample, moving a cursor over a contact can cause a small pop-up bubbleto appear that displays the contact's phone number, e-mail address, orother contact information. In some implementations, contacts can bemanually added or removed from the contact network 152 by the user.

The profile 130 can include a conversation list 154 that includes a listof recent communications or conversation threads involving the user andthe person 132 as previously described in the description of FIG. 1A.The conversation list 154 can display the total number of communicationsor conversation threads involving the user and the person 132. In theexample shown in FIG. 1B, the conversation list 154 indicates that 2510conversation threads have occurred that involved the user and the person132.

Clicking on or selecting a conversation thread or communication in theconversation list 154 can cause a more detailed summary of theconversation thread or communication to be displayed. For example,selecting a conversation thread can cause a summary of one or morecommunications in the conversation thread to be displayed. In anotherexample, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154 cancause a summary of the communication to be displayed. In anotherimplementation, selecting a communication in the conversation list 154can cause the communication to be displayed. For example, selecting ane-mail from the conversation list 154 can cause the e-mail to bedisplayed.

In another implementation, selecting a conversation thread can cause themost recent communication to be received or the most recentcommunication to be sent in that conversation thread to be displayed. Inanother implementation, selecting a conversation thread in theconversation list 154 can cause the first communication in thatconversation thread to be displayed. In another implementation,selecting a conversation thread from the conversation list 154 can causea communication addressed to all of the participants of the conversationthread to be generated. For example, selecting an e-mail conversationthread can cause an e-mail to be automatically generated that isaddressed to all of the e-mail addresses involved with the selectedconversation thread. In some implementations, communications orconversation threads can be manually added or removed from theconversations list 154 by the user

The profile 130 can include a files exchanged list 156. The filesexchanged list 156 can contain a list of files exchanged between theuser and the person 132 as previously described in the description ofFIG. 1A. For each file listed in the files exchanged list 156, theprofile 130 can display a file name, a file title, an icon, the time ordate when the file was received, the amount of time that has elapsedsince the file was received, the subject of the communication to whichthe file was attached, or other information about the file. Iconsdisplayed next to a file name or file title can indicate what type ofdocument the file is. In the example depicted, a file 158 with the filename “sturgeon 001.jpg” is displayed. An icon next to the file name forthe file 158 indicates that the file 158 is a picture file. A date nextto the file name indicates that the file 158 was received on April 23.

Clicking on or selecting a file in the files exchanged list 156 cancause the file to open. In another implementation, selecting a file cancause the communication to which the file was attached to be displayed.In another implementation, selecting a file can cause a list of fileswith the same file name to be displayed. This allows the differentversions of a document that has undergone several rounds of revisions tobe reviewed and compared to each other. In another implementation,selecting a file can cause a summary of the file to be generated anddisplayed. For example, hovering a cursor over a file in the filesexchanged list 156 can cause an information bubble containing the titleand first few lines of the file to be displayed. This list of files caninclude a time and date stamp for each version of the file so that themost recent revision can be easily identified. In some implementations,files can be copied from the files exchanged list 156 to otherlocations. In some implementations, files can be manually added orremoved from the files exchanged list by the user.

The profile 130 can include one or more menu buttons 160. The menubuttons can be used to change personal settings or preferences, changeviewing preferences, or access menus or help information. The profile130 can also include a minimize button 162 that can cause the profile130 to minimize or close. When the minimize button 162 is clicked orselected, a minimized version of the profile 130 that takes up lessspace in a viewing window can be displayed. The minimized version of theprofile 130 can include a summary of some or all of the informationdisplayed by the profile 130.

FIG. 1C shows a viewing panel 164. The viewing panel 164 can display aprofile such as the profile 130 of FIG. 1B. The viewing panel 164 canalso display information about communications, communicationattachments, files, or conversation threads. In the example shown inFIG. 1C the viewing panel 164 displays information about a conversationthread 166. The information about the conversation thread 166 can bedisplayed in response to a user clicking on a conversation thread 166 ina conversation list, such as the conversation list 154 from FIG. 1B. Theconversation thread 166 can also be displayed in response to the userviewing, reading, selecting, opening, or writing a communication that ispart of the currently displayed conversation thread 166. In someimplementations, the conversation thread 166 can be displayed inresponse to a search performed by the user. For example, the user canuse a search bar 168 to search for a conversation thread 166 based onthe subject of the conversation thread 166, participants in theconversation thread 166, files attached to communications in theconversation thread 166, or key words or terms in the communications ofthe conversation thread 166.

The viewing panel 164 can include one or more navigation buttons 170.The navigation buttons 170 can include a profile view navigation button172. The profile view navigation button 172 can be used to return theviewing panel 164 to a profile view so that the viewing panel 164displays information about the sender or recipient of a currentlyselected communication, or another person as indicated by the user. Thenavigation buttons 170 can also include a back button 174. The backbutton 174 can be used to display a profile, conversation thread, orother information that was previously displayed in the viewing panel164. For example, if the user was previously viewing a profile for aperson named Mark Wagner, clicking on the back button 174 can cause theviewing panel 164 to display the profile for Mark Wagner. In anotherexample, if the user was previously viewing information about an e-mailattachment, clicking on the back button 174 can cause the viewing panel164 to display the previously viewed e-mail attachment information.

The navigation buttons 170 can also display a navigation history thathas lead to the current information being displayed in the viewing panel164. In the example shown in FIG. 1C, the navigation buttons 170indicate that the user first viewed a profile for Jen Ertel. The userthen viewed a profile for Jerri Clark Wagner. The user may have openedthe profile for Jerri Clark Wagner by clicking on the name Jerri ClarkWagner in a contact network or list of contacts on Jen Ertel's profile,or by performing a search for Jerri Clark Wagner, or other informationassociated with Jerri Clark Wagner. The navigation buttons 170 indicatethat the user then viewed a profile for Mark Wagner. The user may havecaused the current conversation thread 166 to be displayed by clickingon a conversation thread in a conversation list similar to theconversation list 124 from FIG. 1A. In some implementations, clicking onor selecting any of the buttons in the navigation history can cause theviewing panel 164 to display the profile, conversation thread,communication, communication attachment, or other information associatedwith the selected navigation button 170.

The viewing panel 164 can include a title bar 176. The title bar 176 caninclude the type of information being displayed in the viewing panel,the subject, and other key information. When the information beingdisplayed in the viewing panel 164 is a conversation thread 166, thetitle bar 176 can indicate that a conversation is being viewed, thetitle or subject line of the conversation thread, the number ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, the types ofcommunications involved in the conversation thread, or the number ofpeople involved in the conversation thread. In the example shown, thetitle bar 176 indicates that a conversation is being viewed, that thesubject line of the communications in the conversation thread 166 is“dinner?”, that there are 8 people involved in conversation thread 166,that 18 communications are included in the conversation thread 166, andthat all 18 communications are e-mails.

The viewing panel 164 can include a summary of some or all of thecommunications 178 that make up the conversation thread 166. Informationdisplayed as part of the summary for each communication 178 can includethe sender of the communication 178, the recipients of the communication178, the time or day that the communication 178 was sent or received,attachments to the communication 178, the first few lines or sentencesof the communication 178, the importance of the communication 178, orthe number of recipients of the communication 178. For example, ane-mail summary 180 indicates that the user sent an e-mail in response toan e-mail from Jerri 1 week ago and that 5 additional recipients werealso listed on the e-mail. The e-mail summary 180 also displays thefirst lines of the e-mail sent to Jerri.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a communicationsummary in the conversation thread 166 can cause the relatedcommunication to be displayed. For example, clicking on the e-mailsummary 180 can cause the e-mail sent from the user to Jerri to bedisplayed. In another example, selecting a communication summary in theconversation thread 166 can cause a profile for the sender or one ormore recipients of the related communication to be displayed. In anotherexample, selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread166 can cause one or more attachments or a list of attachments to therelated communication to be displayed. In another implementation,selecting a communication summary in the conversation thread 166 cancause a communication addressed to the sender or one or more recipientsof the related communication to be automatically generated. In someimplementations, selecting a communication summary in the conversationthread 166 can cause a more detailed summary for the relatedcommunication to be displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a detail adjustment control 182. thedetail adjustment control 182 can be used to modify the amount of detailthat is displayed in each communication summary in the conversation list166. In one implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182can increase or decrease the number of words or lines of a body of acommunication that are displayed in each communication summary. Inanother implementation, adjusting the detail adjustment control 182 canincrease or decrease the amount of information that is displayed foreach communication summary. For example, the detail adjustment controlcan be changed to display an e-mail address and phone number for eachsender or recipient of each communication 178 in the correspondingcommunication summary. In another example, the detail adjustment control182 can be used to control what information is used to identify sendersor recipients of communications 178 in each communication summary.Information used to identify senders or recipients can include names,nick names, screen names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, socialnetwork profile names, or company names.

In some implementations in which some or all of the communications thatmake up a conversation thread 166 are telephone calls or voice over IPcommunications, audio recordings of some or all of the telephone callsor voice over IP communications can be displayed in the conversationthread 166. Clicking on or selecting a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication in the conversation thread 166 can cause an audiorecording of the communication to play. In some implementations,automatically or manually created transcripts of telephone calls orvoice over IP communications that make up part or all of a conversationthread 166 can be displayed. In some implementations, a summary of atranscript of the audio communication can be displayed as part of acommunication summary in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a communication summary of a telephone call or voice over IPcommunication for which a transcript exists can cause the fulltranscript of the audio communication to be displayed, or an audio fileof the audio communication to play.

The viewing panel 164 can include a conversation participants list 184.The conversation participants list 184 can be a list of senders andrecipients of the communications 178 that make up the conversationthread 166. Information about each participant in the conversationthread 166 can be displayed, including name, contact information, numberof communications initiated in the displayed conversation thread 166,and other relevant information. The conversation participants list 184can also indicate the total number of participants involved in theconversation thread 166.

In some implementations, clicking on or selecting a person listed in theconversation participants list 184 can cause a profile for the selectedperson to be displayed. In another implementation, selecting a personfrom the conversation participants list 184 can automatically generate acommunication addressed to the selected person. In anotherimplementation, selecting a person from the conversation participantslist 184 can cause all communications or summaries of communicationsfrom the current conversation thread 166 that were initiated by theselected person to be displayed.

The viewing panel 164 can include a files exchanged list 186. The filesexchanged list 186 can display a list of files that have been exchangedin the current conversation thread 166. For example, the files exchangedlist 186 can list all of the files that have been attached tocommunications 178 in the conversation thread 166. Clicking on orselecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause theselected file to open. In another implementation, selecting a file fromthe files exchanged list 186 can cause one or more communications towhich the file was attached to be displayed. In another implementation,selecting a file from the files exchanged list 186 can cause one or morecommunication summaries for communications to which the file wasattached to be displayed.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example mobile device 200. In thisexample, the mobile device 200 includes an earpiece 202 for listening toaudible sounds and conversations; a display 204 for viewing informationavailable to the device 200; and a control mechanism 206 used forselecting and highlighting information, launching applications,answering telephone calls or other operations on the device 200.

In some implementations, the display 204 can include a touch-sensitivescreen allowing access to information by pressing a user's fingertip ina desired area of the display 204, pressing a stylus or using otherdevices to apply pressure to the display. In some implementations,operations can be performed on the mobile device 200 by speaking voicecommands. In some implementations, operations can be performed on themobile device 200 by connecting to the mobile device 200 to an externaldevice, such as, a wireless keyboard or a wireless mouse.

In some implementations, the display 204 can provide views toinformation stored on or presented by the mobile device 200. Thisinformation can include battery power status, telephone receptionstrength, alerts indicating new email messages or phone calls received,conversation data, and person data. Mobile device 200 shows a status bar208 that provides a status for telephone reception strength, wirelessdata capability and battery power as examples. Other information can bedisplayed in the status bar 208 to provide a reference to the user.

Mobile device 200 includes an application status area 210 for displayinga convenient name, title or other heading representing an activeapplication. For example, the device shown in FIG. 2 is displaying anemail application inbox, and the application status area 210 shows“Inbox” as the title of the active application.

Mobile device 200 includes a viewing area 212 for displaying, in thisexample, email messages stored in an email account. The email messagesmay be stored locally in the memory of the mobile device 200 or remotelyon another computer, server or file system. In some implementations, theemail application may be triggered or launched when a new message isreceived by the mobile device 200. In some implementations, the emailapplication may be launched by a user of the mobile device 200.

Other types of user interfaces associated with applications or programsmay be displayed on the mobile device 200 in the display 204. Forexample, the mobile device 200 may include a mobile phone applicationand an incoming phone call may trigger the launch of a phone applicationinterface to display the contact information for the caller in thedisplay 204. The display of this contact information is depicted anddescribed later for FIG. 4A.

In some implementations, the mobile device 200 can include a side bar214 viewing area similar to the side bars described for FIGS. 1A-1C. Insome implementations, the side bar 214 may be displayed on a layer overtop of the active application. For example, the side bar 214 may beimplemented as a stand-alone application that can be moved or “dragged”around on the display area of the display 204. In this example, theactive email application can be partially or completely hidden behindthe side bar 214. In other implementations, the side bar 214 can bedisplayed in the display area 204 by displaying the side bar 214 inproximity to the user interface associated with the active application.For example, the email application depicted for FIG. 2 may share theavailable space for the display 204. In some implementations, the userinterface associated with the side bar 214 can be initiated or dismissedbased on user actions or prompts.

Rather than a sidebar presentation, historical and person data can becan be displayed in an integrated interface such as shown in FIGS. 3Aand 3B. Referring first to FIG. 3A, mobile device 200 includes a userinterface associated with an active email application on the display204.

In this example, mobile device 200 includes an application toolbar 302.The application toolbar can display an active area which can be touchedor selected to view information. In the example shown for FIG. 3A, theapplication toolbar 302 includes a highlighted area indicating that the“Email” view is active on the display 204. The information displayed forthe “Email” view can include information gathered from a repository ofcommunication data or person data (i.e., not from the email client).These repositories of data are described earlier in association withFIGS. 1A-1C

The mobile device 200 shown in FIG. 3B includes an application toolbar352. The application toolbar 352 includes a highlighted area indicatingthat the “People” view is active on the display 204. The informationdisplayed for the “People” view can include information gathered from arepository of communication data or person data.

In the example shown, the “People” view includes the name field 354, thenumber of new email messages field 356 and the average response timefield 358 for the person indicated by the name field 354. For example,the first person shown in the “People” view of information has the name354 “David Weiden”. “David Weiden” has sent 5 new email messages asindicated by the new email messages field 356. The average responsefield 358 indicates that “David Weiden” responds to emails in an averageof 10 minutes.

FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C illustrate example alternative user interfaces forpresenting communication and personal data available for a mobiledevice. Mobile device 400 includes an application toolbar 302. Thecommunication and personal data shown in the different views of thecommunication and personal data optimized, resized, or reformatted forthe constraints of a smaller display area available to mobile devices.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example “Info” view of communication and personaldata, as indicated by the highlighted application toolbar 302. In thisexample, the “Info” view of communication and personal data can includeinformation about an incoming caller, an incoming email message sender,or other information. For example, the information displayed on thedisplay 204 for the example mobile device 400 can include a photo 402representing the person, a name 404 for the person and a rank 406 forthe person. The photo 402 may depict an actual photograph of the personor any other type of image. The rank 406 can include a numerical valuecorresponding to a ranking system. Criteria used to rank can include thecriteria described previously for FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example “Threads” view of communication andpersonal data, as indicated by the highlighted application toolbar 302.In some implementations, the mobile device 400 can display a list ofrecent conversation threads 426 involving a selected or highlightedsender 404 shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C illustrates an example “Files” view of communication andpersonal data, as indicated by the highlighted portion of applicationtoolbar 302. The data can include a files exchanged list 452 shown onthe display 204. The files exchanged list 452 can contain a list offiles exchanged between the user of the mobile device 450 and a selectedperson 404. The files exchanged list 452 can also include hyperlinks toweb pages, where the web page hyperlink was previously exchanged betweenthe user and the person 404. In some implementations, for each filelisted in the files exchanged list 452, the profile display 204 canpresent a file name, a file title, an icon, the time or date when thefile was received, the amount of time that has elapsed since the filewas received, the subject of the communication to which the file wasattached, or other information about the file. Icons displayed next to afile name or file title can indicate what type of document the file is.

Clicking on or selecting a file in the files exchanged list 452 cancause the file to open. In some implementations, selecting a file cancause the communication to which the file was attached to be displayed.In some implementations, selecting a file can cause a list of files withthe same file name to be displayed. This allows the different versionsof a document that has undergone several rounds of revisions to bereviewed and compared to each other. In some implementations, selectinga file can cause a summary of the file to be generated and displayed.For example, hovering a cursor over or otherwise indicating a file inthe files exchanged list 452 can cause an information bubble containingthe title and first few lines of the file to be displayed. This list offiles can include a time and date stamp for each version of the file sothat the most recent revision can be easily identified. In someimplementations, files can be copied from the files exchanged list 452to other locations. In some implementations, files can be manually addedor removed from the files exchanged list by the user.

FIG. 5 shows an example communication delivery system 500. In the system500, a first device (e.g., computer 502) belonging to a first user cantransmit a communication to a second device (e.g., mobile device 504)belonging to a second user over a computer network 506. The computernetwork 506 can be the Internet, an intranet, a LAN system or acompany's internal computer network. In some implementations, thecomputer 502 and the mobile device 504 can be desktop computers, laptopcomputers, cell phones, web enabled televisions, or personal digitalassistants. The communication transmitted from the computer 502 to themobile device 504 can be an e-mail, phone call, instant message, textmessage, social network message or comment, message board post, or voiceover IP communication.

The mobile device 504 can extract data from the communication about thefirst user. This data can be used to make a profile similar to theprofile 130 shown in FIG. 1B. Data extracted from other communicationswith the first user can also be used to create a profile for the firstuser. Data that is extracted from communications with the first user canbe used to query websites, search engines, person search directories andother sources of information for additional information about the firstuser that can be used to create a profile. Information fromcommunications that can be used as search criteria include names, screennames, social network profile names, social network profile URLs,physical addresses, website URLs, e-mail addresses, or telephonenumbers. Information that is collected as a result of these queries canbe used in future searches to identify additional information that canbe used to create a profile.

For example, the mobile device 504 can receive an e-mail sent by thefirst user from the computer 502. The mobile device 504 can perform asearch using a search engine 508 with the first user's e-mail address asthe search criteria. The search engine 508 can return a search resultthat includes the first user's phone number. This phone number can bedisplayed as part of a profile for the first user. The search engine 508can also return the URL for or link to a personal website 510 belongingto the first user. The personal website 510 may contain additionalinformation about the first user that can be used to create a profile,such as additional contact information or biographical information.

In another example, the e-mail address belonging to the first user mayinclude an extension for a company. The mobile device 504 can perform asearch using the search engine 508 with the e-mail extension as thesearch criteria. A result returned by the search can be a companywebsite. The company website can be searched to reveal a profile page512 for the first user on the company website. The profile page 512 maycontain additional information about the first user that can be used tocreate a profile, such as additional contact information or biographicalinformation.

In another example, the mobile device 504 can perform a search using aperson search directory 514 with the first user's name or other contactinformation as the search criteria. The person search directory 514 canreturn search results with additional contact information and otherinformation that can be used to create a profile for the first user.

In another example, the mobile device 504 can receive an e-mail sent bythe first user from the computer 502. The e-mail can contain a socialnetwork profile name for the first user. The mobile device 504 canextract this social network profile name from the e-mail and use it toaccess a social network webpage 516. The social network webpage 516 cancontain additional contact information and other information that can beextracted and used to create a profile for the first user. The socialnetwork webpage 516 can also contain additional contacts that can beassociated with the first user in a profile. For example, persons on thefriends list of the social network webpage 516, or persons who haveposted comments or messages on the social network webpage 516 can belisted as contacts in a contact network for the first user.

In another example, a search performed using the search engine 508 canreturn a URL or link for a photo or video sharing website 518 on whichthe first user has a profile. Additional contact information orbiographical information that can be extracted and used to create aprofile for the first user. For example, a profile belonging to thefirst user on a video sharing website may include an instant messagescreen name for the first user. This screen name can be extracted anddisplayed as part of a profile for the first user.

Information extracted from communications between the first user andsecond user can also be used to update profile information on a socialnetwork webpage or other webpage. For example, the mobile device 504 candetect that the second user system has primarily used e-mail address“david@foo.com” in recent communications, while the second user'sprofile on the social network webpage 516 shows his email address as“david@bar.com”. The mobile device 504 can share the second user's newe-mail address with the social network webpage 516 and the socialnetwork can automatically update the second user's info or suggest heupdate it based on this changed behavior recorded by the mobile device504.

Information from travel websites and on-line retailers can also beextracted and displayed as part of a profile. For example, an e-mailcontaining information about a flight itinerary can be received by themobile device 504. The mobile device 504 can extract a flight number orother information about a flight from the e-mail. The mobile device 504can then query a travel website 520 using the flight number or otherflight information as search criteria. Information about the flight,such as expected departure time, expected arrival time, expected delays,weather in the destination city, weather in the departure city, or anychanges to the flight can be displayed as part of a profile.

In another example, an e-mail containing information about an item orservice that the second user is interested in purchasing can be receivedby the mobile device 504. The mobile device 504 can query one or moresearch engines, websites, or on-line retailers 522 to determine whichretailer or website has the best price or currently has the item instock or the service available. This information can then be displayedas part of the profile.

Information from mapping web sites and location tracking servers canalso be extracted and displayed as part of a profile. For example, thefirst user can own a GPS unit, cell phone, or other device that iscapable of transmitting the first user's current physical location. Alocation tracking server 524 can receive this transmission and allowother users to access the first user's current location information. Ifthe second user has permission to view the location information for thefirst user, the mobile device 504 can access the location trackingserver using the computer network 506 to receive location informationabout the first user. This location information can be displayed as partof a profile.

The mobile device 504 can also access a maps and directions website 526to create a map of the first user's current location, or to generatedirections to the first user's current location. The map or directionscan be displayed as part of a profile for the first user. The maps anddirections website 526 can also be used to generate a map or directionsto one or more known addresses for the first user, such as a workaddress or home address. The map or directions can be displayed as partof a profile for the first user.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example process 600 for collecting andpresenting historical communication and personal data on a mobiledevice. The process 600 can, for example, be implemented in a systemsuch as the system 100 of FIG. 1A. In another example, the process 600can be implemented in a system such as the communication delivery system500 of FIG. 5.

Stage 602 collects historical communication data and personal data. Forexample, communications such as e-mails, instant messages, phone calls,text messages, internet message board postings, social network messagesor comments, or voice over IP communications can be collected.Historical communication data and personal data can also be collectedfrom web search engines, people search engines, social networks, e-mailclients, personal web pages, telephone directories, scanned businesscard data, picture sharing websites, video sharing websites, profilepages, travel websites, on-line retailers, or customer relationshipmanagement systems.

The collected historical communication data and personal data caninclude a log or history of telephone calls, contact information,biographical information, communication text, communication summaries,physical location information, mapping information, attachments tocommunications, weather information, travel information, and retailinformation.

Stage 604 generates a profile using communication data and personaldata. The source of the communication data and personal data can be anytype of repository. For example, the collected data can be stored in adatabase on a users computer. The collected data can also be stored on anetwork server, a web server, a removable storage device, or as part ofan e-mail client or other communication client.

Stage 606 monitors the use of the mobile communication device, such asthe mobile device 200 described earlier for FIG. 2. For example, asystem implementing the method 600 can track the received telephonecalls, received email messages, mouse movements, keyboard strokes, ormouse clicks of a user of the system, or active windows or mouselocations displayed on a display device of the system. The usersbehavior can be monitored to determine if a user has opened, viewed,read, or composed a communication, such as an e-mail. The users behaviorcan also be monitored to determine if the user has initiated a telephonecall, performed a search, clicked on a particular item, or selected aparticular item.

At state 608, a request to view a profile can be received. If therequest is received, the system 600 can present the profile on themobile device at state 610. If the request is not received, the process600 can end.

Stage 610 presents data from the repository in response to userbehavior. For example, referring to FIG. 1A, the profile 108 can bedisplayed in response to a user selecting the e-mail 110 in the inboxviewing panel 104. In another example, information about a person can bedisplayed in response to a user performing a search for the person'sname. In another example, information about a file can be displayed inresponse to a user clicking on the file in an e-mail or othercommunication. In another example, information about a topic can bedisplayed in response to a user clicking on or selecting text within thebody of a communication.

The apparatus, methods, flow diagrams, and structure block diagramsdescribed in this patent document may be implemented in computerprocessing systems including program code comprising programinstructions that are executable by the computer processing system.Other implementations may also be used. Additionally, the flow diagramsand structure block diagrams described in this patent document, whichdescribe particular methods and/or corresponding acts in support ofsteps and corresponding functions in support of disclosed structuralmeans, may also be utilized to implement corresponding softwarestructures and algorithms, and equivalents thereof.

This written description sets forth the best mode of the invention andprovides examples to describe the invention and to enable a person ofordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. This writtendescription does not limit the invention to the precise terms set forth.Thus, while the invention has been described in detail with reference tothe examples set forth above, those of ordinary skill in the art mayeffect alterations, modifications and variations to the examples withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: identifying an automatedweb service based on a domain name associated with communications sentto a user, the communications comprising a sender address associatedwith the automated web service and a recipient address associated withthe user; receiving communications sent by the automated web service tothe user of a communication device; automatically generating a profilefor the automated web service from data extracted from thecommunications; sending a query to a first computing device over anetwork using the data extracted from the communications in response toreceiving a new communication from the automated web service, the querybeing performed using search criteria including a phone number;receiving, from the first computing device, second information from asocial network profile of the automated web service stored by the firstcomputing device; updating the profile using the second information; andenabling presentation of the profile on the communication device inresponse to a user request on the communication device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: determining that the user of thecommunication device is selecting at least one contact in a list ofcontacts; and causing at least one action to occur on the communicationdevice that corresponds to the at least one contact.
 3. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the at least one action includes generating a messageaddressed to the at least one contact.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising presenting information to the user of the communicationdevice from the profile when the user interacts with a piece ofinformation in a user display associated with a service provided by thefirst computing device.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thepresentation includes adapting the profile for display on thecommunication device.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the adaptingincludes identifying a subset of information from the profile to presenton the communication device.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein theadapting includes changing a format of information associated with theprofile.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the adapting includesordering information in the profile and presenting the informationobtained from the profile in accordance with the ordering.
 9. The methodof claim 1, wherein the receiving the second information comprisesreceiving a link.
 10. A non-transitory computer readable storage mediumfor tangibly storing computer program instructions capable of beingexecuted by a computer processor, the computer program instructionsdefining the steps of: identifying an automated web service based on adomain name associated with communications sent to a user, thecommunications comprising a sender address associated with the automatedweb service and a recipient address associated with the user; receivingcommunications sent by the automated web service to the user of acommunication device; automatically generating a profile for theautomated web service from data extracted from the communications;sending a query to a first computing device over a network using thedata extracted from the communications in response to receiving a newcommunication from the automated web service, the query being performedusing search criteria including a phone number; receiving, from thefirst computing device, second information from a social network profileof the automated web service stored by the first computing device;updating the profile using the second information; and enablingpresentation of the profile on the communication device in response to auser request on the communication device.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:determining that the user of the communication device is selecting atleast one contact in a list of contacts; and causing at least one actionto occur on the communication device that corresponds to the at leastone contact.
 12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium ofclaim 11, wherein the at least one action includes generating a messageaddressed to the at least one contact.
 13. The non-transitory computerreadable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising presentinginformation to the user of the communication device from the profilewhen the user interacts with a piece of information in a user displayassociated with a service provided by the first computing device. 14.The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, whereinthe presentation includes adapting the profile for display on thecommunication device.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 14, wherein the adapting includes an operation selectedfrom the group consisting of identifying a subset of information fromthe profile to present on the communication device, changing a format ofinformation associated with the profile, and presenting the informationobtained from the profile after ordering information in the profile. 16.The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, whereinthe receiving the second information comprises receiving a link.
 17. Anapparatus comprising: a processor; and a storage medium for tangiblystoring thereon program logic for execution by the processor, the storedprogram logic causing the processor to perform the operations of:identifying an automated web service based on a domain name associatedwith communications sent to a user, the communications comprising asender address associated with the automated web service and a recipientaddress associated with the user; receiving communications sent by theautomated web service to the user of a communication device;automatically generating a profile for the automated web service fromdata extracted from the communications; sending a query to a firstcomputing device over a network using the data extracted from thecommunications in response to receiving a new communication from theautomated web service, the query being performed using search criteriaincluding a phone number; receiving, from the first computing device,second information from a social network profile of the automated webservice stored by the first computing device; updating the profile usingthe second information; and enabling presentation of the profile on thecommunication device in response to a user request on the communicationdevice.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, the stored program logic furthercausing the processor to perform the operations of: determining that theuser of the communication device is selecting at least one contact in alist of contacts; and causing at least one action to occur on thecommunication device that corresponds to the at least one contact.